


Dead Asleep

by lollyflop



Category: Southern Vampire Mysteries - Charlaine Harris
Genre: F/M, Fix-It, Rewrite, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-01
Updated: 2016-07-08
Packaged: 2018-05-04 10:32:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 14,169
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5330936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lollyflop/pseuds/lollyflop
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fix-it to replace Dead Ever After.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

I woke in a panic, startled by the green fizzle of brain activity downstairs. I drew a few shuddering breaths before flopping back on the bed, slapping a palm to my forehead. Sam had slept over. I'd already forgotten.  
I took a second to consider the sad state of my affairs if having a person in my home when I awoke was this alarming.  
Shuffling to the bathroom, I spared a glance in the mirror above my vanity. Hoo-boy. My whole face was puffy from crying and barely getting any sleep. I sucked a little air through my teeth and grabbed some clothes.   
When I plodded downstairs, I heard the front door shut. I reached out with my mind and felt Sam moving towards the edge of the yard. O-kay, clearly he wasn't ready for morning chitchat. I poured myself a cup of coffee and stepped out onto the back porch. If he wanted space, I'd give it to him, but I was in no mood to sulk.  
The outdoors made me gasp. The yard was in full bloom, and more vibrant than I'd ever seen it. I eyed it suspiciously, sure that there was some fairy influence at play. When I stooped to check my tomatoes, though, I checked my annoyance. I plucked a deep red beefsteak and smiled as I inhaled its scent. The letters “BLT” crossed my mind.  
"I'm thinkin' about headin' into work," Sam called, making me flinch a little.  
I stood and looked back at him. He was leaning against a pin oak, his arms crossed in front of him, his face a mask.  
"You sure that's a good idea?" I walked closer, but kept my distance. "You're feelin' okay, I mean?"  
He chuckled darkly. "I'm alive," he replied.  
My mouth flattened into a tight line and I nodded, not sure what else to say. The moment lingered uncomfortably before Sam cleared his throat. "I'm gonna need a ride," he mumbled.  
"Oh! I'll get my keys–"  
Sam started to protest, but stopped himself. He pushed his lips to one side, and I heard him searching for a less awkward alternative. He was coming up empty-handed.  
"It's no problem," I said, trying to sound friendly.  
"I appreciate it," he said, sounding not at all grateful.  
I pinched my mouth shut and stomped into the house. So much for not sulking.

We rode in silence. The air felt thick and smothering. Sam's mind was an incomprehensible–Word of the Day–tangle of anxiety.   
I needed something to cut through the tension. “Radio?” He made a noncommittal noise.  
We both reached for the tuner to turn the radio on at the same time, and our hands touched briefly. Literal sparks flew and I yelped. Electric fizzled in my fingertips as I pulled my hand away.  
"What was that?" Alarm rang in Sam's voice.  
My heart was pounding in my chest. "I think it was magic."  
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sam's eyebrows go up and his mouth hang. "Okay," he drawled. "What kind?"  
"It could be fairy, maybe?" I sucked in a breath, remembering that Faery had been sealed off. "And now I've got no way to find out for sure. Shit."  
"But what happened? What was that?" Sam's alarm was turning into panic.  
"I don't know, but I'll do my best to find out," I sighed as we pulled into the gravel parking lot of the bar. I stopped the car and we looked at each other full in the face for the first time since I'd used the cluviel dor to bring him back to life. I realized that something in Sam's eyes seemed different, cloudy. His face was tense and he looked older beyond his years. He was pale. The warnings about the unexpected consequences of using the magic came echoing through my head. What had I done?  
"I promise," I said, my throat dry.  
Sam nodded once, then stepped out of my car. My eyes followed him the whole way across the parking lot. I waited there for fifteen minutes before I finally dropped my car in gear. With a last glance, I pulled away.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sookie opts for some retail therapy, but just in time for Eric to come calling.

Amelia didn't answer my call, so I left a message. Mr. Cataliades wasn't in, so I asked his secretary to have him call me back. I sent Pam a text, but I knew I wouldn't hear from her anytime soon. I scrunched my face up and thought about Niall really hard, just in case I could summon him that way, but no dice. When I tried the number he left for me before the takeover, it was disconnected.  
I drummed my fingers by the phone for five whole minutes before I decided there was nothing more I could do.  
Snatching my keys off the counter, I marched back out to my car and set off towards Tara's Togs. I needed some time with my human friend, but a little retail therapy couldn't hurt, either.  
When I stepped inside the store, I saw Tara poring over a bridal catalogue with a blonde. I waved and busied myself flipping through the racks. As I pulled out a sundress in the same shade of blue as the dress I'd lost forever in Rhodes, I heard my name pop into someone's mind.  
I looked up, and the blonde was studying me closely. "As I live and breathe... Sookie Stackhouse!"  
It took a moment, but I recognized her as someone I'd graduated with. "Ashton!" I smiled warmly as I walked towards her. She'd always been a bit of a loner in high school, but had always been nice to me. I remembered she'd tried out for the softball team, and in spite of having a great arm, she'd never made it–I'd caught the coach thinking some unkind words regarding her reputation. "How have you been?"  
"Really good. I've been living in New Orleans, but my mama insisted I do some wedding planning near to her."  
"You're getting married!"  
She half smiled, nodding.  
A woman's name popped into her mind. Oh.  
"Well, I'm so happy for you," I said, and I meant it.  
Tara appeared at my elbow. "Ashton is stuck deciding between this silver cake topper and this glitzy monogrammed one. What do you think, Sookie?"  
I swept my eyes over the fabric swatches, stationery and photos spread on the table. Their theme was definitely on the bold side. "The monogram! And your initials together would be really cute–A and Z. Just my two cents!"  
Ashton’s eyebrows danced with confusion and I heard her think that she hadn’t said her fiancee’s name. Oops. Fortunately, she shrugged it off.  
We laughed and chatted for a minute before Tara's saleswoman sense latched onto the dress in my hand. "Oh, Sookie, let me get you a dressing room! That color will be gorgeous on you!"

The sun was just setting as I finally made my way back inside my house. I draped the garment bag over the arm of the couch and craned my neck to look at the answering machine: no messages.  
“Nuts,” I mumbled, making my way into the kitchen. I grabbed a cutting board, a knife and the beautiful tomato from my garden. I took a moment to stare at my fingertips, remembering the sharp sting of electricity I’d felt when my hand touched Sam’s. I shook my head and focused my attention to slicing.  
On the porch, I sat with my bowl of tomatoes and salt shaker, staring out at the approaching night. The tomato was juicy, meaty and flavorful. I greedily slurped and sucked at each bite, lost in the wonderful taste. I made a mental note to thank Niall, if I ever spoke to him again.  
“I won’t lie,” Eric’s voice caressed my ears. “This is an image I will hold onto for the rest of my nights.”  
I smiled, sucking salt off my thumb.  
Eric’s head rested on his stacked fists, his elbows spread across the porch railing as he stood on the other side, staring in at me. “You’re quite a hot tomato yourself,” he smiled, waggling his eyebrows.  
I laughed out loud.  
His smile faded, became wistful. “I have missed you.”  
“Have you?” My voice was colder than I’d intended.  
His jaw went tight and he pulled himself effortlessly up to sit on the railing. “Yes.”  
“Why did you just leave?”  
We were both surprised at my directness.  
“I was angry,” he replied, as if he were pointing out that grass is green.  
“Uh-huh,” I prompted with a rolling motion of my hand.  
“Sookie, you had the solution to our problem literally in the palm of your hand,” he said, a little anger at the edge of his words. "You used it up. On the shifter."  
I felt the sting of last night's events, overwhelming my senses. “He was dead,” I sobbed. I pressed my wrist to my lips and swallowed hard, my eyes blurry with tears. “Dead. The forever kind.”  
“That hurts you.”  
My eyes shot to Eric’s. “Of course it does!”  
“You love him.” There was no question in his voice.  
I exhaled slowly, sitting back in the rocking chair. “Do you know me at all?”  
“Help me.”  
I realized that was a sentence I’d never expected to hear from Eric’s mouth. I swallowed hard, searching myself for the words I needed. “I would’ve done the same for Tara, her babies, Jason, his wife, my gran if I could go back in time. Pam! If it would work, I guess,” I rambled. I looked up at Eric’s face, searching for understanding. He simply nodded that I could continue. “I like to think I would’ve done it for anyone I knew well and liked enough. I don’t know if it would’ve occurred to me if I didn’t care about the person–I’m not foolin’ myself that I’m some kind of saint. But I care about people, a lot more than I guess I must let on. And if I’ve got the ability to save a good person’s life in my hands, I’m going to take it.”  
Eric frowned. “You were right. I was wrong about you,” he started.  
I froze.  
“You would make a terrible vampire.”  
I let out a little coughing breath that was meant to be a laugh. Tears were spilling down my cheeks and I suddenly felt desperate for his arms around me. I stood and moved to close the distance between us, but Eric tensed. “We should speak inside,” he said, casting a nervous glance around us.  
It felt like somebody had poured a bucket of cold water over me. I sucked in a breath and pointed at the door, my feet feeling like concrete. Eric hopped down from the railing and headed inside while I wiped my face and attempted to steady myself. Over the years, many people had confused me for a psychic. I had a pretty clear sense of what was coming next and I wanted to delay it as long as possible. When I heard the floorboard in the kitchen in front of the fridge creak, I mumbled, “Suck it up, Stackhouse.” In I went.

I wandered into the kitchen, and pulled out a chair for myself. “I’m sorry, I should’ve offered you something to drink.”  
Eric turned by the microwave and leaned against the countertop. His expression was a vague smile. “You forget that I lived here for a time,” he said, his voice uncharacteristically soft. “I always considered this a home.”  
I choked down a sob. “Considered?”  
The microwave beeped and Eric’s eyes averted to the floor. He fetched the bottle of blood and shook it slowly, lost in thought. I pulled a chair out and patted the seat. He took a long drink from the bottle, the way I’d seen people in the bar do when they’re about to say something they think won’t be well-received.  
“She will not release me.”  
This, for some reason, was not news. It’s what I expected. What I had both hoped for and been terrified of was some other piece of information. It felt a little like a let-down.  
“What can I do?”  
He looked at me oddly. “Nothing that I am aware of. It’s as good as done.”  
I felt impatient, but tried to keep it in check for his sake. “Yes, but what aren’t you aware of? There’s gotta be some angle that you’re missing.”  
He looked sulky as he took another drink. “I feel like we have looked at it from every angle possible in this dimension.” Supe humor!  
“Eric, I went on two dates with a lawyer once. Most of the stuff he thought–aside from how good my tits looked–was over my head legal mumbo-jumbo, but you know the one thing he taught me?” Eric gamely raised an eyebrow. “There’s always something you’ve never thought of, or always something smart somebody else already thought of that you just haven’t come across yet.”  
Eric laughed darkly. “I’m at my wit’s end wracking my brain for new ideas and my lawyers have combed every book they can think of for past cases.”  
“But there’s an answer out there!” I was sure of it.  
He looked deeply into my eyes. “This kind of arrangement–a maker selling his child off like cattle–hasn’t been made in centuries. Now, every party is involved in the negotiation without question. The few records of settlements in these cases involve contracts being broken in favor of better matches.”  
“Vampire matches?”  
Eric nodded stiffly.  
“Then marry another vampire.”  
Eric shook his head fiercely. “To enter into another marriage during this negotiation–such as it is–would put my life forfeit. And I care nothing for a solution that takes me out of one cage and places me in another.”  
I felt like I was standing on the edge of something. “What about fairy royalty?”  
Eric looked grim. “No fairy would ever marry a vampire, so there are no records of such a match.”  
“Then we’ll make one.”  
He shook his head. “You are not an acknowledged heir, and the fae are still considered lower forms than vampire royalty.”  
I stood, frantic with energy. “But they wouldn’t risk a war!”  
Eric looked somewhat affronted. “The fae fear us.”  
I rolled my eyes and groaned. “Now is not the time for your vampire superiority nonsense. Would they risk a war?”  
“Niall has told me he wouldn’t intervene.” Eric’s voice was small. He looked at his hands, knotted together in front of him. For a moment, he looked surprisingly human.  
I pressed, “Would they risk war?”  
“They who?” He threw his hands in exasperation.  
“Doesn’t matter. Would they?”  
Eric was quiet for a moment. “No,” he said. His voice was grim was he continued, “But I have no reason to believe that you will have Faery on your side in this. They have washed their hands of this realm and to even threaten war so soon after their own civil war? They would only make such a threat if they were certain they could follow through.” Eric stood and dragged his hands through his hair. “Sookie, what you’re talking about is pitting a handful of fae against countless vampires, vampires who will fall into blind bloodlust on the first scent of a fairy.”  
I took a deep breath. “It won’t come to that.”  
Eric’s face was dark. “That’s a lot of trust.”  
“Like I trust you to be working hard on your side to find a backup plan, and a backup for that plan. And you’re going to find them."  
He looked at me like I was growing tentacles, but he nodded.  
I studied his face. “They’re waiting for you.”  
He looked surprised, then impressed. “I will search,” he said, his voice an oath.  
I crashed my face into his, pressing my body as closely against him as physics would allow. One of his hands fisted in my hair while the other spread across the small of my back, clutching me to him. He kissed me fiercely, and parts of our bodies moved together in ways that would’ve scandalized my gran. When he finally pulled his lips away, my skin was tickled with goosepimples. He rested his forehead on mine. "I would do anything to honor our marriage and be a true husband to you," he said. "I will search the world for a way to stay with you."  
"I'll search the fairy world," I smiled, peppering his lips with tiny kisses.   
Now all I had to do was figure out how the hell to get in touch with Niall.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sookie gets in touch with Amelia, then is shocked at the change she sees in Sam.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I keep butting my head against plot points from previous books. I think my memory of where Sookie and Amelia left things is correct, but apologies if it's not.

I woke up just as lost for an idea as I had been the whole day before. I needed to speak to Niall about Sam, about my marriage. But how? I stood in the shower, lost in thought when I heard the phone ring.  
I dashed into the kitchen and picked it up just as I heard Amelia’s voice on the answering machine.  
“Hey! Don’t hang up,” I panted.  
“I feel like I should be saying the same to you,” Amelia muttered.  
I drew a breath and let it out slowly. “Do witches have natural gifts? Like how some vampires can fly, others can communicate real well with other vampires. That sort of thing.”  
Amelia sounded a little adrift as she said, “Yeah, some witches are great mediums, others can astral project… it’s a person-by-person thing.”  
“Well,” I huffed. “I think your gift is makin’ me mad as hell and makin’ me forgive you anyway.”  
Amelia laughed, and I knew I heard tears. That alone touched my heart, and at the same time, made me a little uncomfortable.  
“Are we okay?”  
“Yeah,” Amelia exhaled. “Yes.”  
I smiled to myself. “Well then it’s an excellent time for me to ask for a favor.”  
Amelia inhaled sharply. “Sookie, I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”  
I was at a loss for words.  
“Last time I did what I thought was helping, everything kinda fell apart. And,” she inhaled deeply, bracing herself to say something big.  
“You’re pregnant,” I cut her off, shock lacing my voice. She was quiet and I gripped the phone, listening intently. I don’t know how I knew, but I just knew.  
Amelia blew a breath out through tight lips, making an elephant noise. “Yep.”  
My emotions were dancing, but I kept my voice level. “How do you feel about that?”  
“Honestly?” She chuckled, “I try really hard not to feel about that. It’s weird and random and… awfully soon. But, we’ll make the best of it, I guess.”  
“We?”  
Amelia laughed. “Yep, me and Bob.”  
I was glad she was with Bob. They made sense together, in their own way. “Well, congratulations,” I exhaled, not sounding as cheerful as I meant to.  
“Thanks, Sookie,” she sighed, sounding deeply grateful.  
I considered letting it at that, but my desperation kept me from letting it go. I decided to try a different tactic; “Well, what if I told you the favor I needed required no magic, and probably even no dangerous weirdness?”  
“Probably?”  
“I just need some information,” I explained. “It’ll only require maybe a little research and asking around. It’s a long shot anyway, but I’m kind of in a pickle.”  
I could hear Amelia shuffling through some stuff, probably to grab a pen and paper. “I can never make any promises on that kind of thing,” she said, cautiously.  
I nodded, even though she couldn’t see me. “Of course, I understand.”  
“Well then, what’s your pickle?”  
“You remember the thing I had you look up? The C.D.?”  
“Sure,” she said, some concern leaking in.  
“Well, I used it.”  
Amelia’s interest was piqued, “Oh! What for?” I could practically hear her brain conjuring [Word of the Day, also a pun, I realized] up images of me lounging on a yacht or rolling around on stacks of money.  
“Nothing thrilling,” I sighed. “I just used it to save Sam’s life.”  
Amelia was silent at that.  
“There was a fight and he was injured pretty bad–well, he would’ve died if I hadn’t used it,” I explained in a rush. “I was told that there might be some consequences usin’ it, but… Sam doesn’t look good. He doesn’t seem like himself.”  
“Whoa.”  
I bit my trembling lip. “I want to know what I’ve done.”  
“Have you asked–” She stopped herself to be discreet, “well, anybody who might be an expert on that kinda thing?”  
I sighed. “I’m trying. But you’re the first person who called me back, and I figure having as many feelers out there is probably for the best. Anyway, I never know how much truth some people I ask are even givin’ me,” I explained, thinking pointedly at Desmond Cataliades. He had let me use the thing with only vague warnings. I wondered how much he really knew, and how little of it he had chosen to share.  
“O-kay,” Amelia sighed heavily. “I’ll do what I can.”  
“I appreciate it. And don’t stress yourself out too much over it,” I offered. I didn’t want to tax her during her pregnancy, but I just didn’t know what else to do. She’d been so helpful in getting me information in the past through her witchy connections. I just hoped she was able to find something–and sooner, rather than later.  
“Well, I’ll call you when I know what I’m having. Maybe I’ll mail you a snap of the ultrasound,” Amelia offered, sounding cheery. “I think Bob might propose soon. He’s been actin’ weird. I’ll keep you updated on that.”  
I pinched my lips. I felt a peculiar sting in my heart. I tried to sound just as cheery when I croaked out, “Swell. Talk to you later.”  
I hung up the phone and realized that it felt like the wind had been knocked out of my sails. I was exhausted. Another person moving on with life, and probably the last person on earth I expected. I knew it was pretty uncharitable to be feeling jealous, but my list of reasons to be jealous of Amelia Broadway felt like it was growing by the minute. She was a witch with money at her disposal, a baby on the way and a soon-to-be fiancé. No vampire queens trying to edge her out, no marriage contracts to fuss over, no friends she brought back from the nearly-dead. She had an overbearing father, but hell. At least she had a parent at all–and one with some money? I knew he was no picnic from experience, but I also knew he could bail water out of a sinking boat if Amelia really needed him.  
Slowly, I let myself wonder why I was so fervent [Word of the Day from, like, two months ago] to solve Eric’s marriage contract situation. Was I fighting for us? I knew I had always pictured myself living a different life than the one I would have with him, but then again, I was always dreaming of my future before I even knew vampires existed.  
Maybe, I thought, I was just fighting so hard against the thing because it was letting two very horrible vampires decide my future for me. That was reason enough, I supposed, but I also knew that Eric would hate living under Freyda’s thumb. I was going to do anything I could to help him, no matter if I was with him for a year or… well, however many.  
I threw myself back on the couch and huffed. I’d spent my magical fairy Lifeline on someone who–I blushed to admit–could’ve been a Mr. Right for me. And who knows, maybe he would be in a year or five. I didn’t regret my choice at all. I had the power to save a life literally in my hands and I used it.  
But there was some part of my brain that just wanted to wish things had gone differently. If Sam had gotten out of the way or if we’d just gotten the hell out of there–who knows? I wanted to tell myself that it wasn’t worth thinking on “what ifs”, but those were pretty much all I had.  
And shaking off the “coulda beens” began with getting my round rump into work.

I breezed into Merlotte’s fifteen minutes before my shift began. I looked around before heading back to Sam’s office. He was nowhere to be found. I stowed my bag and headed out to wrap up my prep.  
The new waitress, Dorlea Duke, was pushing forty. She had a neat ponytail that made her brown eyes pop from her heart-shaped face. I noted that she was a tiny bit more heavyset that most of Merlotte’s waitresses, but I’d seen her take her share of numbers in her ticket book.  
“Mornin’,” she grinned. “Gonna be a busy one. Couple’a ladies from the church ‘round the way called in for a mess’a lunches. Some kinda social. I ‘onno. Waddia bet it’s gonna be a buncha work for no tips?”  
I cocked an eyebrow but laughed. Dorlea caught on fast.  
“At least we won’t be fetchin’ their drinks every two minutes,” she chuckled.  
I liked her. “Shouldn’t be too bad. Big John is a whiz at gettin’ everything out in plenty of time.”  
Dorlea looked pleased as she filled her mustard bottles.  
A crash in the back made us both jump.   
As I snuck towards the hall to check, Sam nearly knocked me over, lugging a case of beer. I laughed. “Sam!” As I gathered myself up, I chuckled, “You scared me half to dea–”  
I let the word disappear.  
Sam grunted and pushed past me, pushing me to the side. He strode behind Dorlea. “Move,” he barked.  
Dorlea stepped to the side, her eyebrows knit in confusion. She looked at me, obviously confused and upset.  
I pinched my lips together as Sam clanged the beers into the mini fridge beneath the bar. His face was pale and his jaw was set hard and angry. His brain was a red snarl.  
I gestured for Dorlea to follow me. We grabbed rags and started wiping down the booths.  
When eleven rolled around, Dorlea and I slipped behind the bar to begin strategizing packing up twenty lunch boxes.  
“Why aren’t you on the floor?”  
I looked up, surprised at Sam’s gruff tone. “We’ve got those lunch boxes for the ladies’ auxiliary. We’re just going to figure out who’s going to handle what real quick.”  
Sam’s eyebrows tweaked and he put his hands on his hips. “Does it really take two of ya to figure that out?”  
“Yes,” I said, my voice flat. “There’s twenty of ‘em. They’ll be by in thirty minutes to pick them all up.”  
Sam looked agitated. “Did I hire you to be waitresses, or did I hire you to pack boxes?”  
“I’ve got an eye on our tables, Sam.”  
“Seein’ as how you didn’t hire anybody to pack boxes, I think we gotta be both,” Dorlea reasoned.  
Sam leaned in too close to Dorlea’s face. “Well seein’ as how I don’t like your attitude, you can get the hell outta my bar,” Sam said, his tone mocking.  
I scoffed. “Sam, we gotta get these packed up. This is a big order.” I put a hand on Dorlea’s shoulder and said quickly, “I’ll watch all the tables and Dorlea can get started on these. We’ll get it done, no fuss. No problem.”  
Sam cast his eyes at me and I gasped. They looked wild for a moment. When he registered the fear in my face, he leaned back and shook his head. “Whatever,” he sighed. “But if I hear one complaint from anybody, you’ll both lose your jobs.”  
I swallowed thickly, and nodded. I watched Sam stride back to his office and flinched when he slammed the door. Okay, so he was having a very, very bad day.  
I buzzed around at double speed and checked on Dorlea whenever I had a moment. She packed the dinners up at a good clip, so I mostly spent my time refilling drinks. That is, until Audie Montgomery started yelling.

“What’s the problem?”  
“This–this… sinner said she wouldn’t give me my food!” Audie thrust a finger at Dorlea.  
I turned my head. Dorlea looked fierce and angry.  
I stepped between the two. “I’m sorry, I’m just walking into this,” I said, trying my Southern honey voice. “Can you explain to me what’s going on?”  
“This harlot told me she wouldn’t give me the food we ordered. It’s for the church!”  
“Okay,” I said, trying not to sound frustrated. “Can you tell me why?”  
“Because it’s for a bigot party,” Dorlea scoffed. She looked like she would spit.  
My eyes flicked to Audie, who looked deeply offended. “If by bigot you meet red-blooded American–Christian–get-together to express dislike of a lesbian tryin’ to marry a dead woman!”  
“Wait, what?”  
“Well you know Jim Greever’s daughter, the blond?”  
Chills ran up my spine. Through a dry mouth, I volunteered, “Ashton.”  
“Yes, that’s the one,” Audie’s head bobbed. “Well she’s been off who-knows-where doing who-knows-what and she’s come back to town with a vampire! A female! And she says they’re going to get married! Can you believe it? She used to be such a good Christian, and–”  
“And so what?” I froze completely as Sam strode near. “You got a problem with supes?”  
Audie drew back. “I got a problem with humans tryin’ to marry dead folks. And I got a problem with people living outside of God’s word.”  
Without a word, Sam picked up one of the styrofoam containers Dorlea had filled with the auxiliary's soup bean lunches. As casual as could be, he turned and threw it right in Audie’s face.  
The entire bar went silent. Beans dripping from her chin, Audie looked baffled, offended and outraged. But she didn’t move.  
Sam chucked another box at her.  
And another as she ran screaming.  
And another that smacked against the door.  
Oh my dear Lord. I covered my mouth with my hands. What had happened to my friend? In all the years I’d known him, he’d never done anything like this. He’d muttered some unkind words about people talking politics and religion in his bar, but he’d never threw somebody’s food at them. And never the wife of the deacon of a church, no matter what she’d said.  
“I’d appreciate it if you all got the fuck out of my bar,” his voice was lethal. “And I don’t want to see any of you for the rest of the damn week.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mr. C gets in touch with Sookie. Together, they survey their options.

“My dearest Sookie,” Desmond Cataliades’s voice rang with a pleasant warmth.  
“I used it,” I blurted.  
“Ah, I see. Well spent, I hope?”  
“Maybe. Well, yes, definitely,” I corrected. “But I’ve got some questions.”  
He chuckled. “Well my dear, now is not the time for second thoughts.”  
I felt my blood pressure rise. “Well actually, maybe it is. See, I used it to save the life of a friend. And now he’s all–”  
“Unlike himself?” Mr. C’s voice was quite serious now.  
Clutching the phone, I whispered desperately, “Yes. What do I do? What’s happened to him?”  
“First, I must ask exactly how this came about. If the information is too sensitive, I can be there by tomorrow afternoon at the earliest.”  
I thought for a second. “Leaving out the sensitive information, my friend–a supe–was injured. He wasn’t dead, but very nearly.”  
I heard him click his tongue, as if deciding how best to begin. “Life is a very temperamental thing, Sookie. It’s not as simple as being born then passing away. Now that our vampire friends are in the open, I think that has become more apparent than ever,” he said, his voice patient and slow. “What you have done is use magic to preserve a life that was fading. The magic would have needed to go very deep to heal someone–especially someone who is supernatural him or herself–that thoroughly. Given that your friend is a supernatural being and given the amount of magic involved, I would not be surprised at all if the two magics are warring within this person.”  
“Oh,” I said, dumbly. “Well, what’s going to happen to him?”  
“To be perfectly honest, I would not be the best person to answer your questions beyond this point.”  
I deflated. “Who would?”  
“I believe that would be your great-grandfather, Sookie.”  
Well ain’t that just the pits? I pushed an aggravated huff of air between my lips. “Yeah? And how the heck do I get ahold of him? Because I’ve been trying to get in touch with the bastard for days and I got nothin’.”  
I heard Mr. C’s chair squeak as he shifted. “Well, that is our conundrum. Since his typical avenues have been shut down,” he spoke in code, “I’m quite afraid I find myself stumped.”  
I looked out the back door at my yard, in dazzling full bloom. “Maybe I have an idea.”  
“Oh?”  
“I can only really show you.”  
“I can be there tomorrow afternoon. What time would be best for you?”  
I loosed a humorless laugh. Given that I was possibly unemployed, my schedule was wide open. “I’ll be here. I’ve got nowhere to be.”  
Mr. C’s voice sounded like a smile. “One in the afternoon it is, then.”

I had a couple ham sandwiches toasted up when I heard the car pulling up in the driveway. I poured a glass of tea and and strode to answer the door.  
“Good afternoon, Sookie,” Mr. C smiled broadly. “You look well.”  
I snorted. I had only managed to scrub up and let my dry naturally while I tackled laundry. I had chosen a rather cheery sundress, though, so I muttered a word of thanks for the compliment. I ushered my semi-demon godfather inside and invited him to enjoy some refreshments. He tucked right in while I poured myself a glass of tea.  
Between bites, he asked, “So what do you have to show me?”  
“Well, it’s my yard,” I explained. “I think Niall was here to… bless it, I guess.”  
“So you suspect there may still be an open portal somewhere close?”  
I nodded.  
Mr. C shook his head. “I’m sure that would not be the case. This would likely be his parting gift,” he replied, totally crushing my hope. “But there is no doubt some residual of his magic there, and that will help us more than you know!”  
Mr. C swallowed the final bite of his sandwich and rose. I led him out into my yard. “My!” His voice was alight with admiration. “That is something.” He wandered this way and that, touching flowers and running his fingers over vines. He stopped dead when he came upon my tomato plants.  
Curious, I asked, “Do you like tomatoes?”  
His eyes were latched onto the red beauties. “Oh yes, very much,” he murmured, his lips practically smacking.  
I chuckled. “I’ll get you a sack to take some with you. There are just too many for me to use and I hate to waste them,” I smiled. He muttered a word of thanks as I headed back inside. Just as I was pulling a bag from a drawer–it was sticking, I’d have to ask Terry how to fix it from slipping off the tracks–the phone rang.  
“Hello?”  
“Sookie, it’s Kenya. Have you seen Sam today or last night?”  
I scoffed. “Since he blew up yesterday and sent everybody home for the week? No.”  
Kenya inhaled deeply, “Did he mention planning on going anywhere, or meetin’ up with anybody?”  
I felt cold prickles at the back of my neck. “No, why?”  
“Was anybody particularly angry with him about his outburst?”  
“Kenya. What’s going on?”  
She hesitated. “Dorlea Duke went over to speak to him this morning and saw his trailer door standin’ wide open. There appears to have been some kinda struggle,” Kenya said, her voice firm but fast. “Sookie, we have reason to believe someone abducted him.”  
The phone shattered when it hit the floor.

“He’s missing,” I muttered, numbly. My feet carried me out into the yard, but everything felt foggy.  
“Pardon?”  
“Th-The supe. The one I used the cluviel d’or on. He’s missing. The police department called. And my phone broke,” I rambled.  
Mr. C looked thoughtful. “Might he have left town in his agitated state?”  
I shook my head firmly. “They think somebody took him.”  
Mr. C’s eyes blazed. “Why him?”  
I threw my arms out. “I don’t know,” I huffed. “He’s a shifter. He owns a business. He made damn near everybody in town mad yesterday. He’s handsome.”  
“He has been touched with a rare, quite powerful magic,” Mr. C finished.  
My eyebrows hit my hairline. “I caused this?”  
“It’s quite possible that the cluviel d’or caused this,” Mr. C said, gently. “And certainly not with your consent or knowledge.”  
I was suddenly very mad. “Yes. Not with my knowledge. I had next to no knowledge about the thing when I used it,” I spat.  
Mr. C’s mouth pinched and his brow creased with anger. Gradually, his face softened back to its usual placid expression. “As you know, I am not a member of the Fae. My knowledge of their world and magic is not encyclopedic. I gave you all the information I had. You chose to use it with an incomplete knowledge,” he corrected me, sounding like a disappointed father. “Now, we will deal with the repercussions.”  
I was too tired, too frightened to fight. “Okay, so where do we start?”  
“With Mr. Eric Northman.”  
Oh, of course. The feeling of chasing my tail felt appropriate, since we were looking for Sam and all. "Alrighty. I'll need to borrow your cell phone."


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So off to Fangtasia they go...

I sat in the car, tapping my fingers against the steering wheel, hoping this really awful plan was going to work.  
Mr. C, I reasoned, was important enough in the supe world to interrupt a meeting between the Sheriff of Area 5 and whatever delegates from whatever territories he was meeting with. It also, I suspected, would give me a little supe street cred. Walking in on the arm of a demon lawyer who once was on the retainer of a queen surely couldn’t hurt my standing. Even though I was (technically, currently) Eric’s wife, my (technical, current) human status was a detriment.  
Mr. C finished his donut and wiped his fingers on a wet nap. “Alright, Sookie, I am ready whenever you are,” he said. His warm tone calmed me slightly.  
I nodded and we strode up to the vampire working the door. I didn’t recognize her and her starched suit told me she wasn’t on Fangtasia’s regular staff.  
“We’re closed.”  
“I am Eric Northman’s wife and this is our lawyer–and my sponsor–Desmond Cataliades.”  
Mr. C inhaled sharply beside me, but said nothing.  
The vampire guarding the door mulled it over, pushing her overlined lips to one side as her dark eyes swept over us. At length, she nodded. “You may step inside, but I will have to check to see if they will permit an interruption.”  
I steeled myself. Time to break out some badass. “I will see my husband,” I barked, channeling the rich lady who came into Merlotte’s last month while passing through and demanded to see the manager when her green beans came with bacon fat. “Surely they can peel themselves away from all the nothing they’ve accomplished the the last month.”  
The vampire’s mouth quirked into a concealed smirk. The gamble that she was one of de Castro’s crew paid off. She opened the door and walked in behind us. “One moment,” she murmured.  
She disappeared back into the offices.  
‘Sookie.’  
I flinched. Mr. C had never used telepathy on me before. In my head, his voice was booming and not nearly as friendly as when he spoke.  
‘It is dangerous to reveal our connection.’  
I met his eyes. ‘It’s the only card I’ve got to play here. Anything that can back up my supernatural connections is… well, it’s all I’ve got.’  
Mr. C’s face was fixed in disapproval, but he assumed the demeanor of someone waiting patiently, letting his eyes slowly roam the bar. ‘Do you plan to involve your grandfather with the marriage negotiations?’  
I felt a desperate, sinking feeling. ‘Yes.’  
I heard the telepathic equivalent of a groan. ‘Sookie, the fae–’  
‘Wouldn’t come to this world to fight vampires, who would probably eat them for breakfast. Yeah, I know that. But they don’t know that. Not for sure.’  
‘No, that’s not what I was going to say,’ Mr. C thought at me. He cast his eyes to the ground and looked sheepish for a moment. ‘The fae are complicated creatures. What they do often seems random at best and intentionally confusing at worst. They may back your claim or they may abandon you completely.’  
I hoped my face didn’t look as miserable as I felt.  
‘But the dae are not so duplicitous,’ he thought, looking me in the eyes. ‘I can promise you my aid.’  
I swallowed thickly, but my tears didn’t have the opportunity to fall before the vampire reappeared. “They will see you now,” she said, looking me down as if she scented blood on the air. I threw back on my bitchy Sookie facade and huffed.  
“Fucking finally,” I muttered through gritted teeth.  
I strode into Eric’s office with as much haughtiness (old World of the Day) as I could muster. With all eyes on me, Eric smirked slightly to show his absolute approval.  
When I heard that we’d be going to Fangtasia, I had driven straight to Tara’s Togs. With her advice–and Eric’s bankroll–I’d walked out of there in a suit that was all business. I’d met Pam just after sunset to borrow an expensive bag, which she tied with a perfectly coordinated Hermés scarf, and some shoes that made me look like the well-kept wife of the vampire sheriff of Area 5.  
“Dearest One,” Eric greeted me. He introduced the major players in the room, and I bobbed little curtsies at each. “To what do I owe this visit? You know that we are very busy.”  
“Of course,” I replied. “But surely you can be spared from this nonsense to spend five lousy minutes with your wife?”  
I could feel the tension in the room ratchet up. Through the bond, Eric’s pride began to smoulder.  
“To what end?”  
I cast my eyes to a vampire Eric had said was there to represent Oklahoma. I smiled but made no attempt to hide my irritation. “What could a wife possibly want with her husband after seeing him none at all for weeks and weeks?” That drew a few snickers from some of the vamps.  
“Sweetheart,” Eric chided.  
I smiled, trying to seem good-natured. “It’s actually a silly personal matter. You see,” I started, and began rambling about a made-up home renovation project with a made-up contract dispute. “And so I figured rather than trying to call him a hundred times and interrupting over and over, that Mr. Cataliades, Eric and I would just settle it right here and now. I hope that’s acceptable?”  
The vampires had already tuned me out, and were willing to spare Eric just to stop me from going on. They waved him out of the room.  
Eric led us out of the bar and around the corner before he began speaking. “Well played, lover.”  
I smiled to myself. Darn skippy.  
Mr. C got straight to business. “Mr. Northman, has Mr. Brigant ever given you anything?”  
Eric’s face was guarded, and he said nothing.  
“Gifts–true gifts–from the fae are a rare commodity. They conjure silly tokens all the time and spend their money quite freely, but they are more guarded with possessions. To a fae, giving a gift is to give away a piece of oneself. Quite literally,” Mr. C said with a hurried air.  
Eric’s head bobbed a nod of understanding and he began fishing in a pocket inside his jacket. He cast me a sad glance as he produced his hand for Mr. C to examine. In his palm sat an incredible ring. Tiny roses were dotted with little glittering gems, swirling around to support a massive stone of sky blue. Even in the dull light of the street, it sparkled and shone.  
Why would Niall give Eric a ring?  
Mr. C inhaled sharply. “Indeed. This will do nicely.” He turned to me and instructed, “Sookie, allow Eric to slip the ring on your finger. As you do, concentrate your thoughts on Niall. Let yourself call out to him. Picture him right here beside you.”  
Confused, I held out my right hand.  
Eric raised an eyebrow and pushed my hand aside. “The other one, please.”  
Oh. Oh!  
I tried to think of Niall standing beside me on the street, I really did. But there’s something about having a man slip a ring onto your left hand that tends to distract a girl. The electric of his hands on mine and his eyes staring down into mine and the way he whispered it:  
“Mine.”  
My head was fuzzy and full of light and then there was that popping sound.  
My attention came crashing into the reality of where I suddenly stood. Panic ripped through me. “Eric… NO!”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where'd they pop off to?

Eric’s fangs were out and he looked wild. Silver spears were poking him from all sides.  
Niall’s voice rang out in amusement. “My apologies, you arrived a bit sooner than expected,” he said, striding towards us with his hands clasped behind his back. “Eric, your fangs?”  
Eric’s eyes darted all around, taking in the beautiful fae that surrounded him.  
“Eric,” I chided, feeling embarrassed.  
His gaze drifted to me and his fangs slipped slowly away. “Niall,” Eric managed to greet, his voice thick and his eyes distant.  
“Well, I suppose congratulations are in order,” Niall said, his smile brilliant.  
Confused, I glanced at Eric, then at Niall.  
“I had given Eric the beautiful heirloom you wear now on your finger as he intended to ask you to marry him in the human custom,” Niall supplied. Suddenly, he realized that I did not seem gleeful. “Is that not the case?”  
Awkward. “Actually, it was Desmond Cataliades’s idea to try and get ahold of you,” I said, casting my glance to the beautiful gardens around us. Wherever we were, it was beautiful and bright, but Eric’s skin was unaffected. Interesting.  
“Ah.” Niall shifted his weight on his feet then asked, “How is my old friend? Well, I hope?”  
I nodded, forcing myself to remember my manners. “Yeah, he’s doin’ well and I’ll tell him you asked after him. But we’re really here ‘cause we need help. Can we talk?”  
Niall nodded, obviously taken a bit off guard. “Of course,” he replied, holding a hand out to direct us toward the entrance to a beautiful castle. “This way.”  
The fairy guards surrounding us stepped aside, but kept their spears in hand. They watched us carefully as we walked. We stepped into a beautiful room filled with fragrant flowers and lush, white couches. I plopped down unceremoniously and tugged on Eric’s hand. Fortunately, no guards followed us and the scent of the flowers slowly brought clarity to his eyes. He sat.  
“I don’t know how much of this you know, but Eric’s maker contracted him to be married to a vampire queen against his will. He’d have to set me aside and stay with her for a hundred years,” I explained as quickly as I could. “We’re married in the eyes of the vampire community, but it doesn’t matter ‘cause I’m a nobody–”  
“You are most certainly not!”  
I took a deep breath. Supe fights. “As far as they know, I’m just a regular human.”  
“But you are my great granddaughter!”  
I cast my eyes down, in an attempt to look demure. “Yes, but I wouldn’t dare flaunt that information. They’d all want my blood, and it wouldn’t help, anyway. I’m just a halfling with no backing.”  
Eric’s hand gripped mine and I felt his pride.  
“Why does this matter to you?”  
My head shot up and Eric hissed. “I love him!”  
“And I love her.”  
“So?”  
I was on my feet, my fists balled at my sides. “So? How can you act like it’s no big deal?”  
Niall’s mouth was tight. “If this were to be prevented, what would happen? What would be the future?”  
“Well the stupid queen would have to get over herself,” I said, crossing my arms and chuckling to myself.  
“But what then?” Niall’s eyes bored into me.  
“You know, I always just let myself pretend we’d have some fantasy happily ever after, but I’ve always known that I’ll never become a vampire. When I get old, Eric won’t want me. And I think I’ve always accepted that,” I said, my mouth a little smile. I could sense Eric wanting to interject, so I barreled on. “I’ll go on and marry somebody safe and he’ll go do what he does. But we’ll only have a choice in our futures if we fight for it. I’m not going to sit by while he gets sold off by his piece of shit Maker like a hog at the fair. I’m not going to sit by while the man I love is taken away by a horrible woman who only wants him as a hood ornament. And I’m certainly not going to sit by and let life happen to me so I can die an old woman full of regret. So are you gonna help me or not?”  
Niall studied my face for a long moment, his eyes narrowed in thought. “We will not go to war with the vampires. I can not name you as my successor. I am afraid there is nothing I can do to help you,” he said, his voice firm.  
Before I could stop myself, I spat, “Horseshit.”  
Niall’s eyebrows drew up his forehead in a slow outrage that would’ve been comical if I’d been in any mood to laugh. “The fae cannot lie.”  
“But they can step around the truth like nobody’s business. What aren’t you telling me?”  
His mouth pinched. He studied me for a long moment. “There is nothing I can do right now to help you,” he repeated, his voice a little more urgent, his tone grabbing my full attention.  
“Why can’t you help me?”  
Niall’s eyes wouldn’t meet mine. I dropped to my seat, wind knocked out of me. “You’ve been spelled.”  
His face was luminous with apology and regret. He dipped his head in a single nod.  
I covered my face with my hands. This was Oh Shit Territory. Who could curse him?  
“No chance you can tell me who did this to you, is there?”  
Niall shook his head. Another magical fairy Lifeline slipping through my fingers.  
“I’m going to try to help you,” I said, trying to muster some conviction.  
“That would be incredibly dangerous.”  
I rolled my eyes, standing slowly. “Of course it would be,” I chuckled darkly. “What in my life has ever happened that wasn’t incredibly dangerous?”  
Niall’s face was mournful. I checked my annoyance.  
“Where’s my next lead?”  
Niall looked thoughtful, and opened his mouth several times, as if trying to speak but having the words stopped in his throat. At last, he said, “Your boss, the shifter.”  
“Oh for heaven's sake!” I threw my hands up.  
“What has happened?”  
“He’s been kidnapped,” I replied, my voice flat.  
Eric stiffened beside me.  
“Sookie, you must listen to me,” Niall implored, falling to his knees before me. He took Eric’s and my hands, intertwined, into his. “There are more kinds of fae than you know; you are not the only halfling. Their magics are dangerous, but not indestructible. Keep your eyes open. And take this.” He handed me a little music box. I toyed with it in my hand until I noticed him eyeing it. I remembered what Mr. C said about gifts from the fae being a piece of the gifter. I placed it carefully in my pocket.  
“Eric,” Niall said, his voice urgent. “She can’t swim.”  
And then there was that popping sound, and I was in my bed. Alone.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Looking for clues about Sam.

I woke to the sound of fists pounding my door. My brain picked up the snarly signature of three weres. They seemed neutral. I put on a robe, and headed downstairs but made a pitstop in the kitchen for lemon juice, just in case. When I opened the door, the three weres were standing with arms crossed and shades on, like some biker Men in Black unit. The image was almost enough to send me into a fit of giggles, but I bit my cheek and plastered on a friendly Southern girl smile.  
“Hi, can I help you?”  
“We’re the trackers."  
“Uh huh.”  
The one I assumed to be the leader shifted on his feet. “The big one didn’t tell you we were coming, I’ll take it?”  
I shook my groggy head. I plucked Eric’s face from his mind. “He’s bad for that. Who are we tracking?”  
“A shifter.”  
I nodded. Eric and Mr. C must’ve spoken to each other after the whole fairy weirdness. “That makes sense. The trail should start not too far from here, but it’ll be easiest if I go with you,” I suggested. I thought about offering them coffee, but I remembered how twitchy Mustapha Khan had been at the idea. Anyway, with dark clouds on the horizon, I figured time wasn’t exactly on our side. “Could you guys wait out here for five minutes while I get dressed?”  
“Sure,” the leader agreed, pointing a thumb behind him. “We’ll be in our SUV. You should drive in front of us so you won’t be stuck waiting while we track.”  
I thanked him for the advice, then ran upstairs to pull on a long sleeved t-shirt and some jeans. I grabbed my purse and made sure I had the keys to the bar, in case they needed inside.  
When we got to Merlotte's, the leader–the others called him Doc in their brains–tossed me his phone.  
“Punch in your number and we’ll call you with whatever we find, Miss Stackhouse,” he instructed. While I was busy with that, they shifted in their darkly-tinted SUV. I appreciated their modesty, a quality many of their were brothers just didn’t share. They bounded out of passenger side and seemed to be looking to me for a direction to head.  
“The police told me there was a scuffle in Sam’s trailer, and that’s how they knew he was missing," I shared. "Maybe start there?”  
Doc tilted his head to one side, then took off towards the trailer. The busted door frame had been boarded up, but the weres had no trouble pawing open the door and slipping through a gap in the boards. I made a mental note to ask Terry to come secure Sam’s trailer a bit better if we didn’t somehow find him today. A couple windows were busted out. I tried not to think about the struggle.  
I waited on the porch, hugging myself. The breeze was a bit chilly, but that wasn’t why I was shivering. It felt eerie to be so out in the open, so near to where someone–or something–had taken Sam. With the bar closed, the little cove felt too quiet, too remote. Suddenly, my coming along didn’t feel like such a good idea, even if I did have three weres with me. They had been paid to track Sam, but I had no reason to think that they’d jump in harm’s way to save me.  
To keep myself from feeling so creeped out, I called, “Y’all find anything?”  
One of the weres slipped through the door and shifted. Oh dear. So much for modesty.  
“Ma’am, when is the last time you were in here?”  
I racked my brain. “It’s been a few months, I guess?”  
He looked suspicious. “We caught another scent in there,” he said, his dark eyes narrowed.  
“That’s great! Do you think you could follow it?”  
“I could,” he started. I heard him mentally juggling a few options before deciding to be direct. “To be honest, the scent is an awful lot like yours.”  
My stomach did flip flops. That almost certainly meant the fairy who spelled Niall had kidnapped Sam. Could I even go through all this again? “It’s possible that the kidnapper was…” I thought hard. What should I say? “Related to me,” I finished.  
The were made a snorting nose and turned his eyes to the inside of Sam’s trailer. I could hear that he didn’t believe me, at least not fully, and I didn’t blame him. I could also hear that he figured it wasn’t his place to draw any conclusions, just to collect the information and report back.  
At last, the two weres slipped out of the house. They turned their noses up and started off.  
“We’ll track as far as we can, then we’ll give you a call,” the were said. ‘And we’ll tell Northman, in case you’re the one that did it,’ he added, mentally.  
“Thank you,” I said. “Whatever it is you find, don’t hesitate to share it with me. And my husband. Eric.”  
The were gulped and his eyes shot to the ring on my left hand, which I’d forgotten about completely. “Northman is your husband?”  
I nodded, standing a little taller. So what if it was only a vampire marriage? The weres would recognize that kind of thing.  
“We’ll be sure to report in with both of you, ma’am,” he said. With that, he shifted and trotted off to join the others.  
I watched the trio until they disappeared into the woods. I slipped into the bar and grabbed the list of vendors from Sam’s office, locked up, then drove home. I placed a few calls to cancel deliveries to the bar and put in a few calls to check up on the other staff. Big John asked about Sam and Terry offered to get his Catahoulas out for a search party. I rang Dorlea last. “Did you hear that somebody else went missin’?”  
“No, who?”  
“Some girl. I guess she wasn’t from around here because hardly anybody knew her,” Dorlea said, sighing. “Zenna? Zane? I don’t remember.”  
My brain went into overdrive. If she was a bit of a stranger, maybe she was another shifter, like Sam.  
“Where did she go missing from?”  
“I’m really not sure,” Dorlea said, sounding distracted. “Some farm. Anyway, I got to run. Hopefully, Sam will be back home soon and we can all get back to normal.”  
“I hope so,” I sighed, hanging up.  
Still too nervous to settle down, I grabbed a mop and bucket and started cleaning. The bathrooms sorely needed some TLC, so I started there first. By the time the phone rang, my floors were sparkling.  
“Miss Stackhouse,” Doc greeted. “We tracked the scent to a rest stop near the highway, headed south. There was another scent in the mix, a vampire.”  
I frowned, even though he couldn’t see me. “There was another kidnapping. A woman. Her name starts with a Z and she was taken from a farm nearby, but that’s all I’ve got.”  
“Toddy,” Doc called to somebody near him. “Look up kidnappings in the area.” I held back my snicker at a werewolf named Toddy. Instead, I waited.  
“Okay, it looks like a vamp–Zaina Ainsley–was taken from… uh… a Good Greev Farm?”  
My stomach dropped to my toes. Good Greev was owned by Jim Greever. I was willing to bet that Zaina was who Ashton had been planning to marry. “Oh,” I choked out.  
“You know her?”  
“Not personally. A local church was trying to protest her wedding, and Sam got in altercation with one of the church ladies,” I explained quickly.  
“Your 'relative' a member of that church?”  
“No,” I sighed. What the heck would a fairy want with Sam and a vampire? And what did they have to do with Niall? “Well thanks so much for the information. Go ahead and call Eric and leave a message with what you know. I’m sure he’ll call for more details.”  
I hung up the phone and stared out the window. It had just begun to rain. I ached to know that my friend and a helpless vampire were out there, somewhere. I tried not to think of the word “torture”, but it echoed throughout my body, stinging my scars and leaving me feeling brittle. Tears slipped from my eyes. I grabbed one of Gran’s afghans and wrapped myself up.  
My sobs had turned into sloppy, wet tears and hiccups by the time Eric appeared in front of me at sundown. He framed my face with his hands, then pressed kisses where my tears had fallen. He licked his lips as he leaned back. “We will find your friend,” Eric said, his voice doubtless and strong.  
“But you -hic- don’t have time to do that. You’ve got to keep working on -hic- this stupid marriage contract that you don’t even want,” I finished in a wail.  
He pulled me into an embrace. “Hush, now,” he murmured, his hand rubbing a circle across my back. “I will be occupied, yes, but I will throw exorbitant amounts of money at being sure he is found.”  
I drew a deep breath and looked at Eric. I thumbed the ring on my finger and licked my lips. “I love you,” I whispered.  
At once, his mouth was devouring mine while his hands roamed my body. I fisted a hand in his hair and clung to him for dear life, panting as he pulled me into his lap.  
“Sookie,” he sighed into my neck, kissing my racing pulse.  
His hands snaked under my shirt and I loosed a strangled cry. I began to beg, whispering over and over, “Please, I need you.”  
We were in my bed at vamp speed and he was leaning over me, his eyes wide, his face serious. “Sookie. I could never find contentment in another. You are my wife, and I will honor that pledging absolutely, forever. I will not set you aside, and I will not be bargained away,” he said. “I will love you as long as I walk this earth.”  
My breath caught in my throat.  
“But Sookie,” he whispered. “I must know that you feel this way.”  
My mouth hung open. “Eric, I…” I swallowed, trying to clear my head. I said, slowly, “I will always love you. But… I won’t become a vampire. I can’t commit to you forever because I think you won’t want me forever.”  
“My lover, I would want you even if tomorrow, you sprouted a second head,” he replied, chuckling. “You are part human, part fae. I fell in love with you as this, so it is this I love.”  
“But… I’ll get old.” I had to say it. I’d said it before but it was my greatest insecurity. Eric had been around for a thousand years. With his gorgeous face–and my stars, that body!–I had no doubt that he’d been with boatloads of stunning, incredible women… and none of them, I wager, were OLD. How could I face forever with Eric if I wasn’t going to be here forever?  
Eric scoffed. “What is it about growing old that frightens you? Will I find you sexually attractive as an octogenarian? No. Will I still love you? Yes! And frankly, all the better for your decrepit old hips. They couldn’t withstand my sexual prowess,” he joked, grinding his hips against mine, waggling his eyebrows.  
I managed a laugh. “But someday, you’re gonna want to turn me.”  
“I want to turn you right now,” Eric said, easily.  
“But I don’t want you to!”  
Eric nodded emphatically. “Yes, and that is why you aren’t among the undead as we speak.”  
“Eric!” I sat up, scooting out from under him. “You big A-hole! You can’t joke about this. I’m not going to be a vampire.”  
Eric rolled his eyes, sitting up. “Yes. And that is why. You aren’t. Among the undead. As we speak.”  
“You…” I stopped, not sure if I wanted to say what I was thinking. But I looked up into his eyes and knew I had to say, “You turned Pam against her will.”  
“Pam didn’t know that vampires existed. Not really,” he explained away. “I couldn’t give her the option without revealing our kind. But I did give her the choice how to live her unlife.”  
My face screwed up in confusion.  
“Do you think I made Pam just to have a handy bar wench?”  
I frowned. “I don’t know what I thought.”  
“I made Pam because I saw the future that had been chosen for her. I saw her spirit and knew that she would smother. I made her, taught her our ways and then I let her choose: stay with me and see the world, or make her own way.”  
“Eric, that’s not really much of a choice,” I harrumphed.  
“It’s more of a choice than I was ever offered,” Eric reasoned, his eyes looking more fragile than usual.  
I took a deep, steadying breath. This was a make-or-break moment, I knew. “Eric, I love you. I love you with a passion I never thought I would know in my lifetime. I love the talks we have. I love the way you laugh when it’s just us in bed. I love that our personalities complement each other so well, sometimes, it’s like we’re puzzle pieces that have just been waiting to be put together,” I sighed. “But you know how it goes. ‘Forever’ is a big commitment, even for–especially for–a vampire. Things fall apart all the time. Because I love you now, does that mean I’ll still love you if you pull some sneaky shit or decide to become Supreme Ruler of some ginormous vampire territory? I don’t know,” I said, shaking my head. I reached out and brushed his jaw with my thumb. “So I won’t make you that promise and have it turn out to be a lie. What I will promise you is that so long as you’re good to me, I don’t plan on stopping loving you. That’s all I’ve got.”  
Eric looked thoughtful for a moment. Slowly, he leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on my lips. When his hand slipped up my shirt, however, the chasteness flew out the window.  
Eric undid his zipper and pulled me onto his lap, sinking slowly into me. I shivered. We hadn’t made love in far too long. I pulled off my shirt and met his eyes.  
“Wife,” he whispered.  
I inhaled slowly, letting my lungs fill with air while that one, simple word refreshed me completely. I smiled wide, and replied: “Husband.”  
He groaned, then rested his forehead on my shoulder, his arms cupping my body, holding me against him. His fangs scraped against my collarbone as he pushed and pulled my body slowly along his length. The pace was torturous and I growled, impatiently leaning back to try to gain leverage, but he chuckled darkly.  
“No, lover,” he admonished. “Tonight, we’ll savor this.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sookie and Mr. C have a lead.

The next morning, I woke sore, guilty and alone. “Such is the life of the vampire’s wife,” I mumbled, stumbling towards the bathroom. When I found a bouquet of deep red dahlias on my sink, however, I felt my spirits brighten. After a shower and a little pampering, I was ready to face whatever the day brought.  
Or, at least I thought so, until the phone rang.  
“Is this Miss Stackhouse?” The caller’s voice was gruff.  
Cautiously, I replied, “Yes it is.”  
I heard a relieved sigh. “Ma’am, my name is Todd Chase, I’m one of the trackers Mr. Northman sent yesterday.”  
“Oh, Todd,” I greeted. “Hi. What can I do for you?”  
“Well, ma’am, our leader has gone missing.”  
It was almost enough to make me scream with frustration and anger. Instead, I blew out a huff of air and replied, “Okay. Eric is putting together a team to find the shifter you were searching for. I suspect you’ll want to join the party?”  
“I very much would, yeah.”  
“Okay,” I sighed. I hoped I wasn’t overstepping myself by saying who could be part of the search party, but I figured having trackers on our side could only be a good thing. “Just in case, I think you oughta mix up your routines and stay somewhere you wouldn’t normally.”  
Todd scoffed. It set me off. “Or, y’know, however you want to go about not getting kidnapped,” I bit.  
When I hung up, I felt like I needed to take mental inventory of the situation. Just after I used the cluviel d’or on Sam–a shifter–he went missing. Just after Sam got into an altercation with Audie over the lesbian vampire wedding she was protesting, the lesbian vampire went missing. Just after a were went looking for Sam, that were went missing. This was all apparently after a fairy cast a spell on Niall.  
What the heck was the connection? Why would a fairy want a shifter, a vampire and a were? Were they collecting supes?  
I picked up the phone and dialed Mr. C’s office. His secretary informed me that he was already on his way to my house. Well, wasn’t that handy? With nothing else useful to do, I stepped out into my back yard–clutching an iron trowel, just in case–and picked some tomatoes to send home with Mr. C, as I’d neglected to do on his last visit.  
I heard his car coming up the driveway and peeked around the house, just to be sure. When he got out, he looked very uncomfortable.  
“It is ill-advised to be out and about, my dear Sookie.”  
I held up the trowel. “I brought a weapon,” I said, shrugging. I didn’t mention that I’d squeezed a lemon on my pulse points. Call it fairy repellant. Mr. C didn’t look so convinced that my arsenal was up to snuff, but he didn’t say anything.  
“Well, I picked you that sack of tomatoes I promised,” I said, gesturing toward the brown paper bag on the porch. At that, Mr. C smiled wide, his eyes alight. I walked us inside as he clutched the sack like it was a pirate’s gold.  
I didn’t even ask if he wanted something to eat; I just grabbed a skillet and started working on a couple BLTs after I poured him a Coke.  
“Northman informed me that Niall has been spelled. I thought there might be some things to discuss,” Mr. C started.  
I snorted. “You don’t know the half of it. There have been two more kidnappings.”  
“Ah. Is there any apparent connection?”  
“None that I can see. Before Sam–the shifter–was taken, he got into an argument with one of the Ladies’ Auxiliary members, Audie. She was in Merlotte’s to pick up boxed lunches to take to a protest of a vampire-human lesbian wedding,” I explained. “The vampire went missing. I would’ve suspected the church if not for Niall and the other kidnapping.”  
“Who else was taken?”  
“A were. Eric sent three were trackers from Shreveport to look for Sam. The leader went missing.”  
“What did the trackers find?”  
“They scented Sam and the vampire near the highway, heading south.”  
“Indeed,” Mr. C mused. “South, you say. And what’s south from here?”  
I leaned back from the stove and looked out the window, thinking. “You’d run into the Interstate before too long. Towards the Gulf and New Orleans.”  
“Mmm,” Mr. C agreed. “And who might have dispute with your great-grandfather?”  
“Well, he was always worried about the… the water fairies!”  
Mr. C nodded, his face grave. “If your trackers want a direction to point, I’d head for water.”  
I assembled our sandwiches and plopped the plates down on the table, sinking into my seat. “But what would water fairies want with a shifter, a were and a vampire? What fairy in their right mind would kidnap a vampire? And I thought the fairies were all sealed off?”  
Mr. C’s lips flattened into a straight line. “You know well not that all of the fae are of the right mind,” he said, gravely. “And while he may be prince of the sky fae, Niall is not prince of all the fae.”  
Hm. Fairy politics. “So there’s probably some other fairy out there with the power to un-seal the portals or whatever.”  
Mr. C bounced his head from side to side, considering. “That’s not quite accurate,” he replied. “You see, the portals Niall controls belong to the sky fae. They are the only ones who can open and close the doors. The water fae have their own modes of transport, and they control those routes. Sky fae can most easily travel through the air. Water fae travel best–”  
“By water,” I finished with a nod. “So you think the water fairies took the supes back to their home or something?”  
Mr. C nodded. “I believe so. And at any rate, it is certainly the best lead we have in our possession.”  
I raised an eyebrow. Couldn’t argue that. Now, just to wait to meet up with the rest of the search party and head to the beach. I sighed heavily, lost in my misery.  
“My dear Sookie,” Mr. C began, buttering me up, “could I possibly trouble you for another one of these delicious sandwiches?”  
I chuckled. At least I’d have something useful to do.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They're on the trail.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Light sex in this chapter.

“They have kidnapped a vampire from my area,” I heard Eric snarl as I approached. “Of course this is worth our attention.”  
I teetered through the open doorway of his office, and saw that his posture was predatory, furious. My vampire husband was out for blood… so to speak.  
“And this involves me. His wife,” I interjected, my spine straight as an arrow. I could feel the vampire glares in the room shift to me, but I only cared to catch the gaze of one of them.  
When he saw me, Eric’s eyes changed. He strode across the room and fisted the hair at the nape of my neck. He claimed my mouth in a demanding kiss. I slid my tongue down one fang. He shuddered, growling so low that his chest rumbled against me. He cupped a hand under my bottom. Though my head swam, I managed to pull the moment into my mind’s hazy focus. I slipped a finger between us to push his lips from mine. “Business first,” I whispered.  
When we turned to address the room, and I saw that every fang was down. Oh, yikes. I decided to direct the attention back to the matter at hand. “These kidnappings include a vampire of this area, a shifter who is–ah–under my protection and a were Eric hired as a tracker,” I announced.  
“So as you can see,” Eric snarled. “This matter is clearly worth my time.”  
“I hardly see how,” sniveled an Oklahoma vamp that was new to me. I registered that more vamps at the meetings couldn’t be a good sign.  
Eric’s lawyer reasoned, “If there’s somebody out there who can take a vampire, a shifter and a were–”  
“They’re no powderpuff,” another of Eric’s legal team finished.  
“We have no reason to believe these kidnappings will stop,” Eric supplied. “The were under my employ was a substantial fighter. The vampire was young, but clearly, this kidnapper knows our weaknesses.”  
There was a hiss. Vampires hated the thought of having someone out there with the upper hand. They glanced among themselves. At length, one who looked very much like an Oklahoma lawyer said, “Surely you do not wish to prolong negotiations between you and your wife-to-be?”  
“Since my true wife stands here with me–”  
The lawyer sighed, rolling his eyes, waving us off. “We’ll reconvene tomorrow night.” He added, “But the deadline remains firm.”  
Eric shook my hand slightly, and I realized I had nervously clutched his with all my might. I loosened my grip and swallowed. I turned to him and managed to choke out, “Do you have more trackers lined up? We should be looking south, toward water.”  
He nodded. “I’ve been briefed. Come.”  
He placed a hand in the small of my back and steered me out of his office. He turned and touched his thumb to my cheek, which was taut, drawn back into my maddened “Crazy Sookie” smile. I let my face drop.  
“There is no reason to panic.” His voice was firm.  
I nodded, unconvinced.  
“Truly,” he insisted, softening. He pressed a cool kiss to my forehead.   
We climbed into a big SUV. After a short drive, we were boarding a plane. I was delighted to see that it had a private room to the rear, and Eric led me straight to it.  
As I stepped inside, he caught me in his arms and began pulling my clothes off. I moved to stop him, but he leveled me a look. “You can have all your anxieties later, but wouldn’t you rather I soothed your body now, while we have a moment to ourselves?”  
My mouth hung open while I tried to come up with some sort of protest, but I realized he was making a lot of sense. “Deal,” I exhaled, reaching for the button of his jeans.  
His lips found my pulse while he unhooked my bra. I let my hands spread over and around his hips as they ground into mine. I grabbed his behind as he pushed into me. A curse word slipped between my lips and he chuckled, nipping at my ear, letting his hands roam my body. I felt a tumbling sensation in my belly and realized we were taking off, but I didn’t have time to care as his fangs sank into my breast. “Eric,” I cried, desperately rocking into his thrusts.  
When we’d had our momentary fill of one another, we lounged with our naked bodies draped across the small bed. He idly stroked my skin while we chatted.  
“Fucking fairies,” I sighed.  
He nodded. “More wars between clans?”  
“That’s what Mr. C has hinted at,” I replied.  
Eric huffed.  
“But why supes? And a vamp, at that.”  
He shook his head imperceptibly. “I am not certain,” he said.  
“And where are we going?”  
“New Orleans.”  
I must’ve had “huh?” written all over my face. “One of my trackers turned up a lead on a vehicle spotted in the early morning hours at the farm where the vampire was taken. It matches the description of a vehicle spotted looking suspicious in the neighborhood where the alpha were lives,” Eric supplied. “A were on the police force got access to traffic cameras and traced it down to New Orleans.”  
I exhaled slowly, fighting a rising panic. “What’s the plan?”  
“I will follow the trackers. Whatever way they point will determine our next move.”  
I swallowed hard. “Do they know what they’re up against?”  
Eric was quiet for a moment. “No,” he admitted at length. “I felt it best not to use the ‘f word’ until necessary.”  
“I feel like this is a trap.”  
Eric chuckled darkly. “Of course it is, Dear One.”  
I bolted up, staring at him. “Then why in blazes are we going?”  
Eric’s face was grave. “The fae have proven that if they want you, they will find you.”  
I let my eyes fall to the scars on my legs. He stroked his thumb along one. “I will not allow such a thing to happen to you again,” Eric vowed.  
I nodded, lost in thought. Slowly, I asked, “So. This deadline..?”  
Eric’s eyes moved to a window. He looked like a Greek statue, his arm propped on a bent knee, his pale body unmoving. His long limbs nearly filled the cabin. “It’s soon.”  
I was uncomfortable with this reply. “How soon, Eric?”  
His gaze didn’t meet mine. “Despite all our delays, the papers are to be signed two nights from now.”  
It felt like my insides were doing somersaults back to the earth. My head spun and I knew I’d gone grey. Eric silently watched me process.  
“Can you afford the time to be away from your lawyers?”  
He caressed my cheek. “They’re accomplishing nothing,” he sighed. “And I would sooner know you are safe.”  
“I feel like we’re out of time,” I admitted, tears brimming in my eyes.  
Eric opened his mouth to say something soothing or hilarious or suave. But a knock on the door interrupted him. He snarled, pulled on pants and stepped out. When he returned, his face was dark.  
I groaned. “What now?”  
“Fangtasia was set on fire by unknown assailants,” Eric sighed, leaning back against the wall. He tapped his phone against his lips in thought. “Some of the lawyers were among the casualties.”  
“Oh my God!”  
“Many of the surviving vampires were able to contain the flames, but my offices were a total loss.”  
“How was somebody able to set the building on fire with vampires inside?”  
Eric levelled me another look.  
I clicked my tongue against the roof of my mouth in a little tut. “Fucking fairies,” I repeated.  
“Some sort of magic, anyway,” Eric said, sounding weary. “This will, naturally, complicate matters. More than they already are, at least.”  
I nodded, but felt overwhelmed and confused.  
“They’ll accuse me of murder, of course. And of trying to further delay the marriage process,” he explained. His eyes narrowed and thought for a moment. “Then again… it may just work out that way.”  
I tilted my head in question.  
“If I am formally accused of this, there will have to be a trial,” Eric answered, a slow smile hitting his features.   
I blinked, attempting to catch up.  
“You’ll remember the trial you attended,” Eric prompted.  
My eyebrows flew up. “Rhodes! They all had to wait for the summit!”  
“Not every trial goes to the summit, of course, but the vampires in this case were somewhat influential,” Eric mused. “This is an inter-state dispute.”  
“And you’ve got a body count in the multiples,” I added. “You’re a regular ol’ vampire serial killer.”  
Eric laughed, mirth dancing in his eyes. “Oh, Sookie, I’m a dangerous man,” he teased, taking me in his arms. “Are you sure you want to be locked away in a room with such a fiend?”  
“If I was afraid of some fiendish behavior, I’d’ve gone running the first night we met.”  
Eric smiled. “If I recall correctly, you did go running.”  
“And you went flying!” I chuckled.  
“If I had known you were so delightful, I would’ve taken you with me right then!” He gripped my behind firmly.  
“No sir,” I yelped, swatting his arm. “I wouldn’t just let a stranger take me away. Especially not a flying long-haired vampire with the feds after him.”  
Eric’s expression fell somber. “I am sorry.”  
I felt a confused smile cross my face. “What for?”  
Eric toyed with a frayed thread on the duvet. “I know it was not my place to intervene in your life, and I know ruminating on hypotheticals is a losing venture, but,” he sighed, finally looking me in the eyes. “I like to think I could have changed so much in your life. Prevented so much pain.”  
I reached out and braced his shoulders. “Hey, you’re not my keeper.” He made a face, but I gripped his chin. “You’re not, no matter how much you want to be. There are a great many things I wish hadn’t happened, but I gotta believe it’s all part of something bigger. I’ve learned a lot and my world has really opened up. I have some regrets, but I like to think they’re lessons.”  
Eric frowned. “From an outside perspective, I have to say that some of your ‘lessons’ are a little hard to understand.”  
I pursed my lips. “You’re not wrong. But here I am. I know more about people I thought I trusted, I trust people who I thought were untrustworthy,” I said, pushing his shoulder playfully, “and I feel like I’m stronger in myself that I’ve ever been.”  
“I just want so many wonderful things for your life, Dear One.” Eric looked at me sadly. “I feel as if you have had much misery in these past few years and very little joy.”  
I shook my head. “Not true,” I insisted, cupping his face in my hands. “You’ve given me joy. I’m happy.”  
He opened his mouth to speak, but was again interrupted as the tires squealed on the runway. He glanced around, frowning. When his eyes met mine, his expression was completely unguarded. I saw fear and regret. My blood run cold.


End file.
